Argentina's Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant Ranks First in National Installed Capacity

Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant is located in Lima, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, and is part of the Atucha nuclear power plant complex, adjacent to Atucha I, the first nuclear power plant in Latin America. The unit has an installed capacity of 745 megawatts, making it the largest nuclear power unit in Argentina by installed capacity.

The recent phase of the Atucha II project's construction process began in 2006, when relevant parties initiated engineering completion work. Unit installation was completed in 2011, followed by a pre-commissioning testing phase during which systems were verified item by item.

On June 3, 2014, the Atucha II reactor was first started up. Several weeks later, the plant supplied electricity to Argentina's national grid for the first time, and obtained its commercial operation license in May 2016.

Since entering operation, Atucha II has continuously supplied power to Argentina's electricity system. In 2025, the plant generated more than 5.4 million megawatt-hours, setting a new record for annual generation since it began operation.

Atucha II uses natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as both moderator and coolant. Its turbine-generator set, which converts steam energy into electrical energy, is one of the largest steam power units in Argentina.

From engineering completion and system commissioning to commercial operation, the construction and operation of Atucha II has accumulated significant technical expertise. These capabilities have been incorporated into the knowledge base of the team at Nucleoeléctrica Argentina S.A. and are applied to the company's own projects as well as related services provided to operators in other countries.